Hi! I am Benoy! Thanks for visiting! Let me guess, you must be a veracious Darjeeling Tea drinker or a tea lover who wants to know more about Darjeeling Tea. Or a person who would like to start drinking it, but don’t know where to start. You have come to the right place! Frankly, what we are talking about here is a product. What would you look for when buying any product? Good quality, good service and a well experienced seller who absolutely knows well, the product he / she is selling. An expert in his niche, who will always guide you with the knowledge he possesses and get you quality products at the most reasonable rates possible.

Some tea lovers / clients even delve into ethical values when it involves a product’s origin or region from where oppressed workforce are often highlighted in news and media. Tea region of Darjeeling is one of them. Well, we, Thunderbolt Tea are locals, live in the heart of Darjeeling town. We have been selling quality Darjeeling Teas to satisfied customers for more than 17+ years now since we started trading locally from 1999 🙂 Thank you for your time! Please do read on to know why buying from us is way better, both quality wise and for the money you spend. I say, we justify both 🙂 …

How Thunderbolt Tea specializes in Darjeeling Tea?

Please do read on, we have laid out 6 genuine reasons as to why buying from Thunderbolt Tea is a better option. Your time is precious and I am highly honored to have you here. Please do spare some of your precious time and scan us before you buy from us. Its always better to know your vendor beforehand.

1. No one knows a local product like the locals do

All of Thunderbolt Tea’s family and staff were born and brought up in the hills of Darjeeling and the only best thing we adorn our knowledge with is, Darjeeling Tea – We specialize in Darjeeling Tea and that is why we only sell Darjeeling Teas.

Our small Tea family. The small one is just 15 months old, can’t drink tea now, but she already knows how to say “Tea”!

Though the world of tea spreads far and wide, with numerous great tea offerings from around the globe from different tea growing regions, we stuck to selling Darjeeling Tea because this is the best thing that has happened to us and the only thing we can be proud of and sell confidently that’s ethically just as far as it can be and no doubt a high quality tea.

We are locals, who live and operate from proper Darjeeling town. We are not based far away from Darjeeling and claim to be from Darjeeling – this has become a trend these days. We know the people, we speak the language and we know the hardships that prevail among the locals. And to top all, we know our hometown brew, our most dearest Darjeeling Tea – the industry that supports thousands of family households living in and around Darjeeling. Thanks for your support in making it possible for us to make a living.

Women Tea pickers in a Darjeeling Tea estate

Bringing back the economy: When we refer to locals as a whole, everything comes under the umbrella from the embedded culture to its economic conditions. Do you know that apart from the tea wages and their basic welfare, not a single penny comes back to Darjeeling or its community from its global sales? Only a few social projects are operational which help in some way (like the Chai Project by Mercy Corps originally started by Steve Smith of Tazo) and we are thankful for such initiatives.

When you buy Teas from us, you are directly giving back to Darjeeling what it deserves. Though we may not be able to change the whole economic facade, but we are definitely proud that we are trying our best in bringing a tiny part of that economy back to Darjeeling and it’s people. Buy from a local and help the region’s economy. What do you say?

2. You get your Darjeeling Teas direct from the source

There is no middle man involved, we do not buy from a distributor or wholesaler, we buy directly from the tea gardens which is the source. The quality of Darjeeling Tea which we sell can reach heightened pricing if it has exchanged various hands with distributors or wholesalers. In comparison our teas cut the cost of such circles and the rates you get are reasonable. Our teas, no doubt comes at a premium price, but please note that the quality of tea we buy for you is the best and always a limited edition because top number one quality teas are always limited. We, ourselves have to buy expensive.

Tea picker at Darjeeling Tea garden

No tea garden can produce a number one quality in terms of tons, but would be in terms of one or two invoices which may comprise of about 200 kgs approximately or even lesser. So imagine the class of quality you will be getting from us. Its only the “crème de la crème”, the best Darjeeling Tea industry can offer.

3. Wonder how we choose the best variety of Darjeeling Tea?

We expertly choose various invoices of Darjeeling Tea every season through years of experience (experience is a must while choosing one from numerous batches of teas of same mentioned grade and quality) by personally tasting hundreds of teas. An alert and experienced tea taster is the only one who can make the judgement. We only choose the best having number one quality and make all Teas online available on our site.

For instance lets say ‘Castleton Muscatel‘ tea from Castleton Tea Garden – this tea is produced in bulk in terms of tons which is divided into smaller lots or invoices comprising anything from 10 to 100 kgs for bulk buyers. So imagine we have 40 such batches or invoices to choose only one tea or invoice. It can be confusing for the novice tea taster or buyer, only an experienced one can taste it, assess it and buy it. That, we have been doing it for more than 17 years since we started trading locally since 1999.

Tea tastings being done in a Tea garden

Leave the hard part of choosing the best Darjeeling Tea to us and we will get you the best. Plus we buy only from such tea gardens in Darjeeling who treat their workers well. Fair trade certified can sometimes be misleading and just proves to be a marketing gimmick, but for locals like us, it reveals the true sense face to face because we directly interact with the workers and know their plight. Tea workers are shy to talk to other than locals and whatever information one gathers from them can be misinterpreted or misleading. Our local faces makes them comfortable to have a conversation and a true knowledge of their original life-status is known. So you can say that our teas are Fair Trade in the true sense.

Every year during Darjeeling First Flush, Darjeeling Second Flush and Autumn Flush tea season, we run down the hills or climb up in order to visit various tea gardens in Darjeeling. Its tiring, risky, yet is awesome fun because we are Tea Lovers ourselves. We don’t sell tea for the sake of selling, but are into it simply because WE LOVE TEA.

4. Freshest Darjeeling Tea, How?

Yes, you will receive all of our Darjeeling Teas ‘Fresh and fragrant’. You may wonder why ours will be the freshest? Reason is really simple, we are based in Darjeeling and maximum time a tea needs to enter our store house from any Darjeeling Tea garden is about 2 hours. Some deliveries are even done within half an hour e.g. from Arya Tea Estate. We can see Arya Tea Estate from our office window, we are that close! Freshly processed tea leaves enter our premises in no time when its hitting its peak quality. As soon as it comes to us, we re-pack it and store it. The re-pack is necessary because most of the wooden tea chests or tea sacks which may appear attractive to showcase, are highly porous and is not at all moisture proof.

By the time it travels long distances, the tea would have already lost its peak flavor, if not all, some will definitely go. Wholesale buying from us is equally beneficial for any distributor, tea shop owner, retailer etc because we get the teas at peak quality time and send it by repacking them with moisture proof packaging. People have asked us as to why our teas are fresh and wants to know the secret – actually its no secret, its just that we have a boon, a boon of being in Darjeeling.

If you are our customer you might have noticed that we do simple moisture / air proof packaging to secure the tea inside without much of fun and flair. Yes, may prove dull and boring to look at, but are you interested in the package outside or the tea? We have noticed awesome designs on some tea packages and some even with Darjeeling Teas inside. We even bought them only to find hidden disappointment, the tea. Great packages can be fun only if there is good tea inside.

Open up and do look into our tea packages and the very first view is of a well made tea accompanied by the fresh fruity, floral or flowery notes which will blow your mind away. You will instantly fall in love with it. It doesn’t end with the appearance of dry tea leaves, brew it and you will get a dash of complex set of aromas with lovely authentic Darjeeling Tea colors in your cup pertaining to which season tea and what type of tea you are brewing. So, making an online tea purchase from us is risk free and always a great product in hand which you can boast in front of your friends 🙂

No Stale Teas: Yes, if you have noticed on our site that none of the teas remain after sometime. Thanks to our clients, our Darjeeling Teas get sold within a few months from the time we update to our site. There wasn’t a single previous First Flush tea that remained. All got sold way before the new First Flush 2016 started. In fact, we don’t believe in selling stale teas and you can be certain that all teas you buy from us is recent and fresh.

5. Rise of Majhua Tea Estate labor to a tea merchant:

We even got straight and difficult questions on our Facebook page as stated below by a Tea lover:

Difficult questions asked on Tea labor conditions

“Reading frequently in Indian media about tea garden workers who are not paid even the minimum wage. How can I be sure that the cuppa I’m sipping is not produced by exploited workers?”

My answer in actual words as I wrote. More on a personal experience and transformation of my family through decades.:

So, we just climbed a few steps more and became a merchant. You can call our company, Thunderbolt Tea, or our family history, the “Rise of the labor into a Merchant”. We wish all of our tea laborer brothers and sisters to have a decent way of life. A life, strong enough to support all their family members.“

Now how about supporting this family who rose from a mere tea garden worker background to a merchant? Aren’t you happy for us? 🙂 You want all tea laborers to be self sustaining and we have been able to. We want our brethren tea workers to have a decent life as well and are trying our best to adorn them with whatever knowledge we possess. We want them to move from the shadows and feel the warmth outside.

6. Leaning towards Giving

Darjeeling is no doubt one of the most beautiful places with world’s third highest peak, Mt. Kanchendzonga in the foreground. Though the place is rich in products that could raise the economic conditions of the people, the people are still poor and needy. Only the ugly heads are rich and famous giving nothing back to the community or the place.

Poor kids with the caps provided by us and notice the socks. Socks was a next initiative.

Thunderbolt Tea exactly know the hardships and the hindrances people face here in Darjeeling because we live here. Within our hearts, we have always had a soft corner. We have been contributing in small ways without actually broadcasting it. We thought it was minimal in comparison to other people/organizations doing their social duties in Darjeeling. We didn’t want it to reveal as a marketing tactic to woo customers to buy our tea.

We are now telling you some of the goodies we do because while pondering back. We think that you should know it too, apart from the money spent in buying your cup of tea, you are simultaneously contributing to a good cause as well.

No, we don’t give 1% or 2% or whatever percentage value companies claim to provide the poor and needy (Though we sincerely appreciate their contributions if they are doing it genuinely). We rather believe in personally catering to their very needs and help them achieve that. Like for instance, recently we visited Hayden Hall and thought of doing a “Pastry Hat Day” for the underprivileged kids. It was an overwhelming experience. We managed to impart, if not all, but some happiness to these kids. Later, in our next giving, we presented them with socks because winters in Darjeeling are severely cold. Most of them were without the socks and the ones who did, had all torn out lot. Our heart cried! At the same time rejoiced in mending the same. You can view photos of the pastry day on our Facebook page.

With your money, every year, we buy a bunch of Hayden Hall tea cozies which we normally don’t sell. These are given as free gifts to buyers whose tea purchase value reaches a stipulated amount. We usually send the tea cozies to you along with the tea you have purchased. Sometimes we surprise our clients with a tea cozy tucked inside the tea parcel.

And to top all of this, without you, it would have been a distant dream. We are a small Darjeeling Tea company who can afford to help only to a certain extent. Thanks to all who buy from us. Apart from the exquisite teas we provide you, your money spent is “well spent”!

To conclude, Darjeeling Tea is our hometown brew. Yes, based in the heart of Darjeeling town, all your tea orders are shipped from Darjeeling’s Head Post Office. So, if you have come here looking for authentic and high quality Darjeeling Teas, look no further. You are on the right spot – We adorn a “Darjeeling Tea halo” on our heads and we assure you great quality teas. We even guarantee you your full money back if disappointed and all comes with Free Shipping! What more do you want! Go grab your share! Purchase once and you will be adored with offers! Now Please do head on to our Thunderbolt Tea’s homepage for your Darjeeling Tea – Get the best! Its one life, don’t settle for mediocre or blended teas, taste only best picks the season has to offer.

Thanks for your precious time and the reading. Hope you enjoyed! And please don’t forget to subscribe to our “Chai Patra” newsletter for news, updates and views on Darjeeling Tea straight from Darjeeling.

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About me

Hello Tea Lover, my name is Benoy. I am from Darjeeling, a Darjeeling Tea enthusiast and a Tea traveler. I simply love Tea. Here I would be sharing my side of the tea stories from various tea gardens and also update you news and offers from my Darjeeling based tea company, Thunderbolt Tea. Thanks for visiting! Hope you like 'em.